Editorial: There ought to be a law.. there is

The state police are in the midst of what they say will be an intensive, one-week effort to enforce the law against distracted driving.

Through Sunday, troopers in unmarked cars will seek to identify and ticket drivers who aren't giving the task of operating a potentially deadly vehicle the full attention that it deserves.

This is a good thing, with special emphasis on the growing menace of the use of cellphones to talk or text message while driving.

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Pass a car a vehicle weaving over the lane lines on the New York Thruway and it's a good bet you'll see the driver yakking up a storm or looking downward, the latter a telltale sign of text messaging.

It's clear many Americans have become addicted to, if not altogether reliant on, their electronic gadgets.

It's understandable - used responsibly, these devices can be wonderfully convenient.

But statistical data developed nearly a decade ago by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggested that cellphone use alone was responsible for 955 fatalities and 240,000 accidents in 2002.

In addition to the statistical data, there's a growing body of scientific evidence that cellphone conversations are inherently dangerous to motorists, slowing the brain's ability to process the information necessary to drive a vehicle safely.

That's why the National Transportation Safety Board in December recommended the states take action to prohibit the use of electronic devices, even including hands-free phones. (Most states have yet to take action to outlaw the use of hand-held cellphones for either calls or texting.)

In New York, it is illegal to use a hand-held cellphone or other such electronic device for any purpose while driving. But such laws will save life and limb only when they win widespread compliance. This requires something much more difficult that the enactment of a law and that is a change in human behavior.

That's where an enforcement blitz, such as taking place this week, can make an impact. It may take some fear of the law - worth $160 in fines and surcharges and three points on a driver's license - to earn respect for the principle that safe driving requires our undivided attention.